The present disclosure relates generally to infant incubators. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a portable infant incubator.
Current incubators are large, heavy and expensive. Storage of any more than a few of these units is not practical due to space restrictions. In addition the current incubators are bulky and can weigh several hundred pounds, making them difficult to transport from one location to another (requiring a truck with a lift gate) in the event of natural or man-made disaster.
Moreover, infant incubators currently in use are ill suited for the developing world and hard to reach areas, because they are expensive, complex to operate, consist of many parts that break, are heavy, and require an extraordinary amount of space. These devices are not feasible in resource-poor areas where hospital/clinic space and funding is unavailable.
In addition, currently used incubators, when not in use take up large amounts of space making it impossible to store more than a few incubators. Thus, hospitals and clinics are disinclined to have more infant incubators than would be needed on a normal basis. Therefore, additional incubators are not available during a natural or man-made disaster where hospitals may receive a surge of infants due to the evacuation of nearby hospitals.